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It’s About Thyme

Dec. 25, 2014|325 views

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Do you like to include fresh herbs in your cooking? Most cooks
know that herbs and spices can help bring an otherwise ho-hum dish alive. What
about dried herbs? Are they a staple in your kitchen? I certainly hope so. For
one thing, using herbs is one way to bring out the flavors in foods without
relying on added salt. But the benefits of herbs don’t end there.
Consider the benefits of just one popular culinary herb: thyme.

This Mediterranean native is a hardy perennial plant that comes
in many different strains and species. Perhaps the best known is thymus
vulgaris, or “common thyme.” This fragrant perennial grows like a
weed in the sun-drenched soils of the Mediterranean basin. It was revered by
everyone from the ancient Egyptians to the ancient Greeks, and it’s
still a staple of good home cooking in places like Provence, in the south of
France, where—along with a few other important aromatic herbs—it
forms the basis of the seasoning mixes known as “herbes de Provence”
and “bouquet garni”.

Of course, you can use it in sachets, for its lovely minty/piney
fragrance alone, or add it fresh or dried to savory foods of all kinds. But don’t
think that thyme is only good for seasoning food or adding fragrance to your
home. This hardy plant has so much more going for it, including some
substantial medicinal properties. In fact, when it comes to “superfoods”
and “functional foods” most experts refer to things like
blueberries, pomegranate, broccoli, or some other fruits or vegetables. But
most fail to acknowledge that certain herbs are also highly beneficial,
functional foods.

Thyme oil, for example, is a potent antiseptic and antibiotic. It’s
been proven to kill the bacteria that cause acne. When applied to the skin, it’s
been shown to be as effective—if not more so—than
prescription-strength acne medication. Certain commercial mouthwashes make good
use of thymol (an extract of thyme) to provide antisepsis. Before the age of
modern antibiotics, healers frequently relied on thyme extract to enhance would
healing and prevent infection.

And research suggests that when you consume thyme, you may be
helping prevent colon cancer. Along with other fragrant herbs, such as
rosemary, sage and spearmint, thyme has been shown to significantly inhibit the
growth of colon cancer cells in the laboratory. That may not be direct proof
that consuming these herbs can help prevent the third-leading cause of cancer
death in the United States, but given that it tastes good too, it certainly can’t
hurt to sprinkle in a little thyme next time you cook.